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View all search resultsBatam prepares market operation to reduce price volatility ahead of Ramadan
Controlling prices of food basic commodities (sembako) is important to keep inflation low ahead of the Ramadan fasting month and Idul Fitri holiday season.
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A customer (left) picks some red chilies at a supermarket in Batam, Riau Islands, on Dec. 7, 2025. Natural disasters in the northern part of Sumatra have caused the red chili price to surge to Rp 120,000 (US$7.19) per kilogram while green chili is selling for Rp 100,000 per kg. (JP/Fadli)
T
he city administration in Batam, Riau Islands, is preparing market interventions to maintain people’s purchasing power ahead of the Ramadan fasting month, which begins next month.
Subsidies will be the main instrument to reduce the volatility of prices among nine basic commodities (sembako) at the consumer level.
The measures are being taken amid rising commodity prices as a result of disrupted supplies from production centers in northern parts of Sumatra, which have yet to recover from last year’s floods and landslides.
Read also: Regions report rising food prices due to free meal program
Acting head of Batam Industry and Trade Agency, Suhar, said the market operations were planned in six districts, with Batam city, Bengkong, Sagulung and Sekupang being prioritized.
Consumers will be able to buy packages of sembako at half the market price.
“We will conduct intervention through subsidized market operations. Hopefully, the public can buy goods at half the regular price,” Suhar said on Thursday.
